The present invention relates to a new and improved process for the conversion of liquid phases of non-metallic substances into solid phases, especially polymerizable or crystallizable substances.
In different publications it has already been proposed in the art, for the purpose of converting liquid phases into solid phases, to spread the liquid phase onto a surface and to peel off such surface the layer of the solid phase which is formed after solidification. According to one prior art proposal there is contemplated a drum member which rotates about a horizontal axis, and at the inner jacket surface of such drum member there is spread out the liquid phase. Generally considered, the conversion process proceeds continuously insofar as the layer of the solid phase is continually formed at its rear end in the direction of rotation of the drum. However, when considering the operation of this system more closely, it will be recognized that within the liquid phase the conversion process does not actually proceed with the same continuity and uniformity at localized regions. This is so because the liquid phase, apart from its length which is determined by the dimensions of the drum member, also possesses a relatively large width and depth, so that there is always present a relatively large quantity of liquid phase at which there does not exist a conversion front or transition zone. Quite to the contrary, the conversion process occurs at random localities and at random points of time at spaced zones, which tend to spread as the conversion process proceeds and finally merge together. The processes which occur during the conversion or transformation of course are not without influence upon the homogeneity and other properties of the solid phase, the quality of which in any event is likewise irregular owing to the irregularity of the conversion process. Moreover, it is not possible to counteract such by reducing the quantity of liquid phase in the drum member. This is so because, among other things, in actual practice such can only be carried out with extreme difficulty, and furthermore, by resorting to such measures productivity would fall considerably below the limits of economical production. On the other hand, with the use of such drum member the production capacity cannot be randomly increased without even more intensely affecting the properties of the solid phase.
These drawbacks cannot be counteracted through the use of equipment of the type which has become known to the art through French Pat. No. 2,104,041, wherein a reaction chamber or compartment is provided in the form of an upstanding tubular-shaped hollow body, at the lower end of which there is continuously removed the solid phase with the aid of withdrawal rollers. Firstly, removal of the solid phase from the reaction compartment with the aid of withdrawal rollers requires considerable tensional strength of the material, and which in the case of those substances which normally come under consideration is just not present as a general rule. Secondly, with equipment of this type, numerous factors which are dependent upon coincidence play a decisive role, and the unpredictability of which absolutely precludes influencing the conversion process by means of the equipment. This is also then the case if, and as will be likewise apparent from the aforementioned French patent, there is utilized instead of the withdrawal rollers, in the solid phase a core in the form of a flexible traction element.